World War Hell Kickstarter Campaign is LIVE

Talk about timing on the part of Grindhouse Toys – What better time to launch the World War Hell Kickstarter campaign then on Friday the 13th?

Yes, friends, you read that right! The campaign for the highly anticipated line of 1:18 figures is now live and ready for your pledge! Check out the uninterrupted details below –

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worldwarhell/grindhouse-toys-presents-world-war-hell

World War HELL is a vintage inspired 1/18 World War II horror O-ring action figure line. Combining the nostalgic fun of Friday nights at the video store, 3-3/4 action figures and ridiculously over the top low budget horror movies. Featuring classic O-Ring construction with a twist. Extra articulation, killer sculpting, highly detailed interchangeable accessories, all with premium deco. Incorporating VHS style packaging design, every figure comes in a slipcase box that beautifully shows off the movie poster artwork. Our team has spent the last year and a half designing, sculpting, fabricating and painting to create these incredibly detailed prototypes.

Each figure comes from the twisted mind of Chris Scott aka Grindhouse Toys. Chris Scott has cut his teeth working on multiple toylines in the independent toy industry including but not limited to: Operation: Monster Force, Eagle Force Returns, The Naughty or Nice Collection, Skeletron Red Shadows, Operation Recall, The Prisoner, Nancy Drew, Longbox Heroes, The Fresh Monkeys, and Soldiers of Fortune. Grindhouse Toys has also released two highly sought after and now sold out action figures. The Multiverse Massacre D.R.E.A.D. Trooper and Necromancer.

World War HELL tells the story of an alternate history World War II. An apocalyptic world filled with skeletons, demons, corpses, ghosts and all manner of hell beast. CERBERUS (The Allied department of supernatural and occult) is fighting a losing battle against COLONEL MALLUM and THE REVENANT, to keep the 9 circles of hell closed. Spearheading the ground assault are SGT. GRAVES and THE DEVIL’S REJECTS. A highly trained special forces unit made up of questionable heroes.

World War HELL: Series 1 is coming and hell is coming with it. Each character is armed to the teeth, and includes multiple interchangeable parts, so that you can build your army the way that you want. These are all of the rewards available on launch: CORPSE, SGT. GRAVES, SGT. SPECTER, CERBERUS TROOPER, and the GREEN ARMY MEN FROM HELL!

CORPSE – $38.00

CORPSES are made up of all manner of undead, zombies, skeletons, and demon possessions. Sadistic killers that can only be killed by complete and utter dismemberment. Are active in proximity to breaches and wherever the HARBINGER OF DOOM has defiled with his presence.

Includes:

Blood explosion neck
M1 Garand rifle
Trench knife
Bayonet
M2 helmet
Regular and Discharged 1911 Pistol
Chainsaw
Bullet Bandolier
Multiple Hand Options
Skeleton neck and head
Zombie neck and head
World War HELL figure stand
Blood pool figure stand
VHS inspired slipcase box

SGT. GRAVES – $38.00

SGT. GRAVES is the squad leader of THE DEVIL’S REJECTS. He is a war torn soldier cursed with HELLFIRE, a demonic soul eating bastard sword forged by Death itself.

Includes:

“Hellfire” Sword
“Hellfire” sword attachment
Devil’s Reject’s trench knife
Cerberus M1897 submachine gun with under-barrel shotgun
Drum magazine
Regular and discharged 1911 Pistol
M2 helmet
.30 cal bullet bandolier
Multiple hand options
Alternate head, neck and arms with apocalyptic war paint
World War HELL figure stand
VHS inspired slipcase box

SGT. SPECTER – $38.00

SGT. SPECTER: mysterious, mute, commando, one man wrecking crew, deceased. Haunts a highly modified M1919 Machine gun/Chainsaw combo called “THE DEVIL’S PIANO”.

Includes:

“Devil’s Piano” haunted m1919 machine gun with chainsaw bayonet
Devil’s Reject’s trench knife
Regular and discharged 1911 pistol
M2 incinerator unit
Flame thrower blast effects
.30 cal bullet bandolier
Multiple hand options
World War HELL figure stand
VHS inspired slipcase box

CERBERUS TROOPER – $38.00

CERBERUS TROOPERS: Cerberus (Allied Department of Supernatural and Occult) shock trooper. Armed with the Cerberus M1897 Thompson submachine gun with drum magazine and under barrel shotgun, chainsaw for dismemberment of CORPSES and M3-A (Anti Possession Gas Mask).

Includes:

M3-Anti possession gas mask
M1 Garand
Bayonet
Trench Knife
Cerberus M1897 sub machine gun with under-barrel shotgun
Drum magazine
Reguler and discharged 1911 pistol
Chainsaw
M2 netted helmet
Bandolier
Multiple hand options
Alternate head
World War HELL figure stand
VHS inspired slipcase box

GREEN ARMY MEN FROM HELL! – $30.00

GREEN ARMY MEN FROM HELL are pure evil children’s toys. Possessed by mischievous demonic entities. Will stop at nothing until world domination.

Includes:

M3 gas mask
M1 Garand
M2 incinerator unit
.30 M1919 machine gun
Bayonet
Trench Knife
Sub machine gun with under-barrel shotgun
Drum magazine
Reguler and discharged 1911 pistol
Chainsaw
M2 netted helmet
M2 standard helmet
Bandolier
.30 cal bullet bandolier
Flame thrower blast effects
Blood explosion neck effect
Multiple hand options
Zombie head and neck
Skeleton head and neck
Figure stand
Comes bagged in plastic and cardboard just like the old green army men.

DECAPITATORS – $19.00

DECAPITATORS: What would a late night trip to the video store be without a creature feature?! Creatures come in a vintage style “movie candy” box. Includes 4 DECAPITATORS.

Includes:

1 Skull Decapitator
1 Light skin Decapitator
1 Dark skin Decapitator
1 Dead skin Decapitator
Vintage style “movie candy” box

If we are successful in hitting our initial funding goal, we have all kinds of fiendish stretch goals planned. Stretch goal figures will be available to add to your pledge once unlocked. Unlocked stretch goals will be added to every “Blockbuster Experience” All-In and “Be Kind Rewind” Double All-In packages at no extra charge!

COLONEL MALLUM: Unlocked at $97,000

COLONEL MALLUM is the man responsible for summoning THE HARBINGER OF DOOM and unleashing HELL on Earth. A man so diabolical that he sliced his own face off in tribute to his dark lord. MALLUM leads THE REVENANT (an unstoppable undead army) hellbent on opening all 9 circles of HELL.

Includes:

Necrogrimoire (Book of the Dead)
Assault rifle
x2 Sacrificial daggers
x2 Grenades
Regular and discharged pistol
Multiple hand options
Hooded head
Fresh skin mask
Withered skin mask
Wired soft goods cape
Blood pool figure stand
World War HELL figure stand

THE REVENANT H.O.R.D.E. TROOPER – Unlocked at $122,000

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Here at Grindhouse Toys we felt that O-Ring figures could use some improvements. Starting with the classic O-Ring construction we all know and love, we then added ankle rockers. Making it so these figures could actually have a wide stance and have more dynamic posing. Since we added ankles why not wrist articulation. And not just a swivel. We added swivel and hinge articulation. Making it so your figures can actually grip an M1 garand properly. No silly made up grip for our weapons! We’re looking at you 1987 Falcon. After we added those improvements, we decided that the figure needs to be able to move his head and neck. And not just one or the other. So we combined the fun of a classic O-Ring neck with the functionality of a modern figure’s ball joint head. That way you get way more movement out of your figures. Plus what would a skeleton be without an articulated jaw? So of course we added that to our zombie and skeleton heads.

Now that’s a lot of articulation on an O-Ring figure!

Articulation Breakdown:

Ball jointed head
Articulated jaw on zombie and skeleton
Ball jointed neck
Shoulder rotation and hinge
Bicep swivel
Elbow hinge
Wrist hinge and swivel
O-Ring connects torso to pelvis to legs with metal t bar
Knee hinge
Ankle rockers and hinge

Each figure will also come with multiple hands for more expressive posing!

Here are some comparison shots of World War HELL with some other amazing O-Ring action figures.

*World War HELL figure next to a Grindstone Toys/Skeletron Wolf Trooper (Skeletron)

*World War HELL figure next to a Delta 17 Okami Elite Sentry

*World War HELL figure next to a vintage G.I. JOE Skidmark

Each World War HELL action figure comes in a VHS inspired slipcase box.

*Example of the VHS inspired slipcover and box. Sold Out Multiverse Massacre Necromancer is NOT FOR SALE.

*Example of the VHS inspired slipcover and box. Sold Out Multiverse Massacre Necromancer is NOT FOR SALE.

*Example of the Cerberus Trooper packaging.

VHS inspired packaging connects to form a gruesome battle illustrated by the legendary Mark Pennington! Each new STRETCH GOAL unlocked will unveil a new section of this sinister scene! Collect them all and make all of your other action figures jealous of World War HELL‘s shelf presence!

What is an incredible action figure line disguised as VHS tapes without incredible artwork? We are very fortunate to be working with some of the best artists in the business.

Artwork by Mark Pennington

Artwork by Tim Baron

Artwork by Scott Brown

*Chris Scott at the Grindhouse Toys booth at Toylanta 2025 in Duluth, Ga.

At Grindhouse Toys we believe in hiring the best human artists around. Thats why you wont see any AI (Artificial Intelligence) used on any of our projects. EVER. John Conner didn’t sacrifice his only father for nothing.

Chris Scott – Directer/Producer/Designer

Chris Scott is the man behind Grindhouse Toys, he is an independent toy manufacturer that also specializes in design, art direction and prototyping. He has worked on several top independent toy lines including, Operation: Monster Force, Skeletron, Eagle Force, Operation Recall, Longbox Heroes, The Naughty or Nice Collection, The Prisoner, Nancy Drew and others. In 2023 he released the D.R.E.A.D. Trooper and in 2024 he released Necromancer. Both sold out and received rave reviews. Grindhouse Toys is fueled by nostalgia and anything vintage. Incorporating a classic VHS packaging design for their action figures, invoking those magical Friday nights at the local video store.

James Carter – 3D Sculpting

Industry veteran over 20+ years. Always saw toys as a business in addition to a hobby. As a kid, I would flip action figure packages over to find out what company made them. I learned the addresses of all of them. I would then write the companies with suggestions. Sometimes they wrote back. Went to school for “old school” practical movie effects, but learned I could translate that into toys. Kenner (Hasbro) hired me out of school into their model shop. I would sneak up to the sculpting studio during my lunch breaks. Eventually hired into that dept where I worked on Batman, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Men in Black, and lots of other things. These were the days of wax sculpting! I went on from Hasbro to Wizkids games where I learned miniature sculpting with epoxy. I would work on Mage Knight, Mech Warrior, Marvel, DC, Aliens, and lots of fun stuff. Eventually Hasbro brought me back and I transitioned into the digital world of sculpting. Marvel, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Disney Princess, Joe, and others were the lines I got to work on. Now I help smaller, independent artists with their dreams of toy making and world building.

Arlen Pelletier -3D Sculpting

Arlen has always been compelled to create. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, he was the kid drawing comic book characters on his binders and playing in rock bands. In the 2000’s, he dabbled with graphic design, and then became a master luthier and guitar-building teacher. In 2010, he took up sculpting as a hobby, working with any material he could get his hands on, from pumpkins to epoxy, before discovering digital sculpting, which changed his life forever. Since 2015, he’s worked professionally as a Digital 3D Sculptor in the toy and collectible industry, for fan favourites like Hasbro, Mezco and Action Force, on characters like Serpentor, Sugar Man and Darth Raven. As the creator of the Naughty or Nice line, he got a taste for sculpting and producing his own designs, and now as a founder of The Nameless Toy Company (TNT Co), he’s making all of his nostalgic dreams a reality. Arlen is an action figure specialist, known for his attention to anatomy, detail and form, and his drive to find the perfect balance between aesthetics and function. A loving Dad of three awesome girls, Arlen works out of his home studio on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC.

Mark Gerwig – 3D Sculpting

Mark is a self-taught 3D artist with a decade of design experience. Initially finding success helping Kickstarter campaigns in the tabletop gaming industry. Mark began utilizing his knowledge of military weapons to design 1:12 scale action figure accessories in 2020 quickly gaining a reputation as the go to artist forhyper realistic 3D weapon sculpting and contributing to Valaverse’s highly successful Action Force line of modern military action figures as well as contributions to: Operation Monster Force, Operation: Recall, Delta-17, and more.

Chris Gawrych – Factory Manager

Longtime toy industry veteran and current Production Manager for Four Horsemen Studios. Chris has helped bring many toys to action figure fans’ hands over the years, including the Mythic Legions, Cosmic Legions, and Figura Obscura lines from the 4H, as well as products from NECA and releases from many indie toy companies including Eagle Force, Plunderlings, Boglins, Chicken Fried Toys, and more. He also runs his own successful toy company D13 Toys, recently releasing the new Biblical Adventures toy line.

Mark Pennington – Packaging Artwork

Mark Pennington worked at Hasbro on G.I.Joe as the second full-time figure designer from December 31st, 1985 to August 1988. In that time he helped develop over 75 figures. Having scratched the G.I.Joe itch, Mark decided to leave Hasbro in August of 1988 to pursue a career in illustration. Mark “wanted to do comics, and illustration and fantasy art.” Mark quickly found success in comics, earning an Eisner Award nomination for best inker in 1993. Mark became a prolific professional comic book artist. He is probably best known for his work on Shade, the Changing Man, which earned him a nomination for best inker in the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in 1993. He has worked on countless titles for Dark Horse, DC, Marvel, Image, and Valiant – including Batman, Catwoman, Death, Detective Comics, Hellblazer, JLA, Sandman, Spawn, Wetworks, X-Men, and many more.

In addition to creating comics, Mark taught life drawing at the Kubert School for a couple years before comics really took over his professional life. Since then he’s also created painted card art for the Legend of the Five Rings, and other pirate-themed and samurai-themed card games.

Tim Baron – Packaging Artwork

Tim Baron is an artist, illustrator, and skateboarder from Indiana. His clients include Tony Hawk, The Property Brothers, AC/DC, Birdhouse Skateboards, Plan B, Creature, H-Street, Super 8 Skateboards, Rush, Soundgarden, and Pennywise.Tim designed a board for Tony Hawk that was released in the Spring of 2021 and sold out. One year later, Tim was asked to design the official “Hawk Vs. Wolf” podcast board for Tony Hawk and Jason Ellis which also sold out. Tim has designed several ReAction figures for SUPER7. His turn-around drawings and color ways were used to create such figures as They Live, Lost Boys, Anthrax, King Diamond, and Rancid. Tim also did the card art for the Phantom Star Killer “Red Baron Banshee” edition figure. In late 2022, Super7 released action figures of Tim’s “Astro Zombie” character as part of their ReAction figure toyline. Waves one and two sold out. Tim continues to ride his skateboard and bleeds art and creativity everywhere he goes. His life mission is best summarized in four simple but combustible words…

Go Skate. Go Create.

Scott Brown – Packaging Artwork

Illustrator, Animator, Pixel Artist, 3D modeller, dork. Scott juggles many hats, having started a short lived career in e-learning and educational software before escaping to pursue animation on cartoons for streaming platforms and ultimately, indie video games. He’s pushed pixels on video games like Skullgirls, Indivisible, Death’s Gambit: Afterlife, Blazing Strike and Slave Zero X. He continues to work in games while also finding time to be a freelance illustrator on toy projects and chipping away at personal comic projects. He likes little plastic army dudes, fighting games, and long walks in dying malls.

Brian Sauer – Logo & Packaging Designer

A lifelong G.I. Joe fan and dedicated toy collector, Brian brings over 25 years of experience in advertising and graphic design to World War Hell. He’s an award-winning illustrator and packaging designer, known for his work on the Roboskull box and his ongoing contributions to Big Bad Workshop. Brian ran his own creative agency for a decade, helping launch and grow brands to national recognition. He’s also the founder and organizer of Assembly Required, the long-running G.I. Joe convention held annually in Des Moines. Passionate about community, storytelling, and bold design, Brian is thrilled to help bring World War Hell to life.

Special thanks to:

Bill Murphy, Ben Conway, Don Koehne, Benjamin Rushing, Jason Murrell, Alexander Murrell, Mike Peterson, Patch Czar, Jonny Kertulis, Ed Helman, Brett Barton, Ishwar Hassamal, Jason Davis, Billy Cooper, Brandon Barker, Trent Davis, Rebel 10 Customs, El Diablo Studios, HVX Customs, Ed Schumacher, Nathan Collings, Kim Buhler, Matt and Kim from Toy Attics, Gavin Hignight, Amber Scott, Frank Scott, Cora Scott, Asher Scott, Caydence Scott and Ann Scott.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING

At Grindhouse Toys we know that long production times can be frustrating that is why we did the majority of the heavy lifting up front before the kickstarter. All of the sculpting, paint masters and most of the artwork has been completed already. That way as soon as we fund we can jump right into tooling (cutting the molds) and then get these figures produced and into your hands!

When you pledge to back World War HELL you will NOT be paying shipping at this time. These figures are for pre-order and are expected to be manufactured and ready for shipping starting November 2026. You will NOT pay for shipping until the figures have completed the manufacturing process. As soon as the figures are ready to ship, we will reach out to you for shipping charges.

A NOTE ABOUT TARIFFS:

We’ve got you covered – all current tariffs will be fully absorbed by Grindhouse Toys to ensure a smooth delivery experience. In the event that tariffs increase beyond 55%, a small aditional charge may be necessary to offset the difference. If that happens, we’ll communicate transparently and keep any added cost to a minimum.

Risks and challenges

Every project of this scale comes with risks, but we are committed to delivering the best possible product. We have partnered with highly-talented, accountable, and proven toy industry veterans to ensure that fulfillment of the World War HELL Kickstarter meets and exceeds all expectations of quality. To meet the high standards our fans expect, we are taking the necessary time to collaborate closely with our manufacturers. Clear and consistent communication is key—not just with our production partners but with you, our backers. Your support makes this project possible, and we are dedicated to keeping you informed with regular updates, including any potential changes along the way. These figures are being produced with a long-established factory partner known for high-quality toy production. However, please keep in mind that this is an independently produced collectible line developed by a small team. Our focus is on quality over speed, meaning we cannot match the rapid production timelines of larger toy companies. We appreciate your patience and enthusiasm as we bring these figures to life!

HECK F**KIN’ YEAH! This line is AWESOME! I don’t know about you, but I’ll be going all in as I definitely need every figure revealed so far! What about you, will you be pledging and if so, at what level?

Congrats and good luck to Chris and all involved! Let’s help push this over the top so that we can start unlocking some sweet stretch goals!